De-escalating Mideast tensions push energy lower as Powell heads to Capitol Hill

Middle East tensions suddenly waned after Iran fired missiles at a US air base in Qatar — having reportedly informed the US in advance. As a result, the missiles were intercepted. President Trump called Iran’s move ‘weak’ and announced a few hours ago that Israel and Iran had reached a ceasefire agreement. Crude tumbled, gold and US dollar eased, and risk taking is improved. Gains in US indices are also supported by rising dovish Federal Reserve (Fed) bets, while European indices remain under the pressure of trade uncertainties into the July 9th deadline. Today, Fed Chair Jerome Powell may temper dovish expectations during his semi-annual testimony, which begins today and continues tomorrow. He’s likely to maintain a cautious tone, emphasizing that inflation remains too high to justify a rate cut before the fall — especially amid ongoing geopolitical and trade uncertainty. Could he throw cold water on US equity optimism? Time will tell! Listen to find out more!